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Why Trump's Golan Heights Gesture Won't Derail Peace

(National Review) Jonathan S. Tobin - President Trump's intention to "fully recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights" is grounded in realpolitik, not the quixotic attempt to salvage a peace process that died long before he took office. The move is rooted in a recognition that any effort to broker a deal between the Bashar al-Assad regime and Israel is a hopeless endeavor - and that such a deal would be undesirable. Assad's victory in the bloody Syrian civil war has brought the forces of Iran and its Hizbullah terrorist auxiliaries close to the Golan Heights, where they already constitute a potent threat to Israel. Recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan is a warning to Iran that the U.S. supports Israel's policy of not tolerating Iran's and Hizbullah's efforts to create a second northern front against Israel. It is a recognition that the U.S. no longer wants Syria to possess a strategic plateau that dominates northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Israel was never going to leave the Golan, whether or not the U.S. recognized its sovereignty over the region. But Trump's move strengthens an ally, warns off a foe, and will have no real effect on any viable peace negotiation.
2019-03-25 00:00:00
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